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The Royal Court
The principality of Equestria is presided over by the Royal Court, an aristocracy surrounding the ruling Monarch of Equestria, Princess Celestia. Of Seven Great Houses—one for each of the Equestrian territories—and the countless minor houses that serve them, only a select few individuals serve any major role in the country's political affairs, but all of them vie for a place in Celestia's good graces. The Crown The Crown is the her Radiancy, Princess Celestia. She is the ultimate authority in all Equestrian affairs and has ruled as Princess since time immemorial. There is no definitive consensus on her origin or how long she has lived, but historical accounts place the estimate between 4,000 and 6,000 years. In that period she has become revered as a goddess. It is no surprise then, that she bears both the horn of a unicorn and wings of a pegasus; an Alicorn. She and her alleged sibling are the only known pureblood Alicorns known to exist. By her decree, Princess Luna ought to be included under this title, but the court still remains ill at ease about her sudden appearance. House of Lords Beneath the Princess is the House of Lords (otherwise, the Royal Council), populated by the Praetors. They are the lords of the seven great houses and the most powerful ponies in all of Equestria, each representing the interests of their lands. Any one of them may summon a court hearing for whatever purpose, and with unbarred access to the Crown (within reason) they may advise her on any matter they see fit. However, because their estates are in their far off homelands, they are rarely present and are often represented by an appointed Lord Advocate. Royal Houses The First Houses Many Houses pledge to one of the Priori; the three founding Houses of Equestria that united to consolidate Celestia's rule more than 4,000 years ago. This choice will reflect their political leanings as the Priori each had a vested interest in Equestria's prosperity, but vastly different philosophies on how to go about it. Great Houses For each of the seven Equestrian territories, there is a Great House. Each with enough wealth, land and horsepower to exert their influence in Equestrian political affairs. Many Destrier Houses, royal families and independents have sworn allegiance to them. Destrier Houses Most minor houses of Equestria are sworn to one of the great houses. They are numerous and spread widely across Equestria with varying degrees of power and influence, working to assist their Lords in any capacity. From among them, only a few are well known: List of all minor houses The Royal Guard The Court doesn't have it's own dedicated army. Instead, it has the Praetorian Guard; born and bred guardians of the Crown. Still, that is not to say it doesn't have a fighting force. The Royal Guard is comprised of every combatant in every House. The Crown may call upon them (and even the Destrier Houses that serve them) if she so desired. Among them, there are several types of guard, from the elite Praetorian Guard of the Crown, to the enlisted militia that make up the standard rank-and-file of every house, to volunteers from the unladen nobility. Militia At its core, a House's military are the residents of its lands. A house may conscript soldiers or accept volunteers from their fiefs. Once armed and given barding with their coat of arms they are trained by the House's Centurions and separated into different units and ranks. If Centurions aren't available to train them, a master must be hired from elsewhere. Some of the unladen nobility specialize in training soldiers and make a living this way. If they're desperate, they can extend the offer to independents and sellsaddles outside the Court. Larger houses may even call upon their vassals to provide veteran soldiers to mentor their own recruits. Immunes Immunes are members of the militia who have specialized skills and are removed from their daily duties to perform skilled labour. They become engineers, scientists, smiths, marshals, trainers, messengers — whatever the House desires — and will often answer directly to their House Lord or a Centurion. It isn't unheard of for ponies of exemplary skill to skip the Militia and become Immunes. Centurions Centurions (aka the Day Guard) are leaders — knights, destriers, captains and commanders — often the sons and daughters of the presiding house or selected from related nobility. This loosely includes the House Lord, who is instead a Praetor (head of a great house) or a Destrier (minor house). He is still a Centurion in the Crown's eyes, but it is offensive for a junior to address them this way. Centurions manage and lead the Militia. Some have Knights that serve them directly – selected from the Immunes, who in turn also lead smaller, specialized units of the militia. Though rare, it is possible for common-blood rank-and-file to become a Centurion, and this is the common method of entry into nobility, but is not an honour granted lightly. Destriers A Destrier is a Lord of a minor house sworn to one of the Great Houses. Usually, these are former knights held in high esteem by a Lord, until they are offered a benefice and enough gold to start their own house. If accepted (horsepower permitting), they earn a place in nobility and the title "Destrier". They needn't be of noble birth, but usually are. Otherwise, Destriers are former members of the unladen nobility recognized for their exceptional skill in some field or another, and granted a benefice by a Lord or the Crown. Beneficiarii The Beneficiarii are the non-combatant and unskilled labour of a House; as orderlies, flag bearers, servants, cooks, and quartermasters—among other things. Evocati / “Watchers” The Evocati are selected in secret from among the Destriers and independent royal families to serve the Crown above their own interests. The title is bestowed by the Princess as the greatest expression of confidence. It entitles them to a trinket of the Watcher's Eye, the Evocati's sigil. With a flash of the eye they can summon a court hearing without the Crown’s approval, exercise authority beyond their station, request or take resources from a House on demand, and even enjoy impunity from Court rulings. This doesn't free them from judgment by the Princess herself, however. They may act independently as agents of the Crown, and are often granted a benefice for their service. Praetorian Guard The Praetorian Guard are an elite force, born and bred to protect the Princesses by the Houses closest to the Crown. Sometimes, orphans and volunteers are offered for the purpose, and in rarer cases, a House's own heir is offered before he/she is born as a gesture of loyalty. They bear the blue star of House Novus. Among them, the colts are gelded and trained from childhood to become Praetorian Guards (or a "Radiant"), while the fillies serve the Crown Beneficiarii as domestic or castle servants. Sentinels / “Night Watch” Foal tales are popular among the children of royalty, but none so much as the Princess of night-time eternal and her army of bat-winged pegasi, who terrorized Equestria long ago. So when an army of bat-winged ponies arrived at Canterlot Castle on the eve of the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration the guard thought the worst. They perched atop the castle walls and froze, awaiting something. The guard did not dare provoke them. At daybreak, they stirred and began to circle the castle. When Celestia returned later that day with her sister in tow, they filled the throne room to express their loyalty to Princess Luna, ignoring the Guard entirely. Luna was overhead calling them the "sentinels." Though they are rarely seen around the castle, they are often spotted at night, earning them the nickname the "Night Watch". Also, their sigil closely resembles a darker version of the Watcher's Eye. Little is known about them (or Luna for that matter), but their sudden appearance has the rest of the guard feeling uneasy. Trivia * Shining Armor is a Centurion (Captain) * Some fiefs have unique arrangements with their Lord(s). Manehattan's city administration is wealthier than their presiding house (House Regard) and have bought a shallow independence from their Lord. This exempts them from the militia and frees them of High Regard's lordship. * House Typhoon assembled the Wonderbolts from his best fliers. They capitalized on their skill and commonly use them for events. Not all of them are combatants. * Princess Cadence is not a member of the Crown, but Princess Celestia insisted that her adopted niece keep her title. * Princess Celestia and Luna are the only living members of House Novus. Starswirl's accounts state that they were inaugurated into House Novus during the Reign of Chaos, and provides no closure as to their origins. Category:Factions Category:National Guard